Sunday, October 11, 2026 4 pm and 5;45 pm
Jerwood Hall
David Önaç, Atlantic Requiem (world premiere)
Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor
Brittany Renee, soprano
J’Nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano
Orson Van Gay II, tenor
BBC Singers
London Symphony Orchestra
November 1 & 4:00pm
Symphony in Motion: Gregg Smith, Igor Stravinsky, & Margaret Bonds
The Dessoff Choirs
Footprints Dance Company
Freddie Moore, choreographer
November 13 & 15, 2026 7:30pm and 2:00pm
Carnegie Hall
Tosca
New York Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, Music and Artistic Director
Marina Rebeka, Tosca
Jonas Kaufmann, Cavaradossi
Ludovic Tézier, Scarpia
Andrew Moore, Angelotti
Ben Brady, Sacristan
Ben Reisinger, Spoletta
Benjamin Taylor, Sciarrone
Christopher Humbert Jr., Jailer
New York Philharmonic Chorus
Malcolm J. Merriweather, Director
Brooklyn Youth Chorus
Dianne Berkun Menaker, Director
December 6, 2026 4:00pm
Rosary Cathedral, 2535 Collingwood Blvd, Toledo, OH
RICHARD SCHNIPKE, chorus director

The Dessoff Choirs’ Freedom Concert, modeled after “freedom concerts” presented by the late Coretta Scott King, offers a choral tapestry of music that reflects on events of the past while promoting hope for the future. Featured works include Ralph Vaughan Williams’ plea for peace, Dona nobis pacem (1936); Robert Sirota’s homage to the nine victims of the Mother Emanuel AME massacre, Prelude and Spiritual for Mother Emanuel; works by female composers; and a commissioned work written by David Hurd. The concert closes with the well-known civil rights freedom song Oh Freedom.
| “Dona nobis pacem” from Mass in B minor | Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) |
| Dona nobis pacem | Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) |
| “III. Adonai, Adonai Lo gavah libi” from Chichester Psalms | Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) |
| Prelude and Spiritual for Mother Emanuel | Robert Sirota (b.1949) |
| commissioned work | David Hurd (b.1950) |
| Cry Peace | Libby Larsen (b.1950) |
| Blessed Assurance | Nancy Wertsch (b.1943) |
| We shall walk through the valley | Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989) |
| Oh, Freedom | arr. Malcolm J. Merriweather and Charles Duke |
Led by preeminent conductor Kent Tritle, Malcolm returns to Carnegie Hall to sing the baritone solos in the world premiere of Paul Moravec’s Sanctuary Road, an oratorio about the Underground Railroad, commissioned by the Society.
Kent Tritle, conductor
John Luther Adams, In the name of the Earth
West Chorus, Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor
Voices of Haiti on Tour
Performances: Porto Venere, Arena di Verona, Firenze, and the Vatican
Malcolm J. Merriweather, clinician
Hollywood Film Orchestra
Brooklyn College Symphonic Choir, Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor
Hollywood Film Orchestra
Brooklyn College Symphonic Choir, Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor
Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor
Pre-concert talk – 3:15 pm
Poetry of Walt Whitman
Dr. Karen Karbiener
Prelude for Voices William Schuman (1910-1992)
Carols of Death William Schuman (1910-1992)
Fürchte dich nicht, BWV 228 J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
WHITMAN COMMISSION Douglas Geers (b. 1968)
Messa di Requiem Ildebrando Pizzetti (1880-1968)
Malcolm J. Merriweather, clinician
